The Regional Hospital XYZ is a major trauma centre with a large emergency department and intensive care unit (ICU). During the outbreak of a pandemic COVID-19 crisis, the ICU is filled to capacity with patients suffering
CS Professional · Ethics, Governance and Sustainability · PYQS · December 2021
The Regional Hospital XYZ is a major trauma centre with a large emergency department and intensive care unit (ICU). During the outbreak of a pandemic COVID-19 crisis, the ICU is filled to capacity with patients suffering from Corona Virus. The emergency department calls the ICU seeking to admit Mr. X, who was brought to the emergency room with a severe condition but potentially reversible brain injury after a car accident. One alternative is to move one of the current ICU patients to a medical unit in order to make room for Mr. X. However, the ICU staff reports that all of their patients need ventilator support, and there are no other ventilated beds available in the hospital. Another alternative is to send Mr. X to another unit in the hospital. However, given Mr. X's injuries, it is clear that this would overtax the clinical capabilities of the health care staff, who are not trained in critical care and who are already struggling to care for other patients. The final alternative is to transfer Mr. X to another health care facility. However, the Corona pandemic has overwhelmed all hospitals in the region, and there are no available ICU beds anywhere else. There is one bed available in the ICU as one of the patient dies. Now an ICU nurse named Ms. Y is admitted with severe difficulty in breathing. It is determined that she has been infected with the Corona Virus, which she may have contracted while caring for patients in the hospital's ICU. She needs immediate ventilation support, which is only available in the ICU bed. How should this situation be resolved?
Answer & Explanation:
Steps to Resolving an Ethical Dilemma Step I: Identify the problem Step II: Identify the possible course of action Step III: Considering consequences positive and negative of each action Step IV: Analyse the action Step V: Select the best course of action The following steps have to be adopted by the hospital management to resolve this dilemma: Step I: Identify the problem Mr. X, suffered from a serious car accident. Ms. Y, who is working as a nurse in the hospital has become corona positive due to Corona patients in the hospital ward. There is only one bed with ventilator available in the hospital. Both patients need bed with ventilator. Step II: Identify the possible course of action First option is that the hospital management assigns bed to Mr. X or Second option is that the hospital management assigns bed to Ms. Y Step III: Considering probable positive and negative consequences of each action If the hospital management decides to admit Mr. X, then his life may be saved, but there are chances that Mr. X may also become corona positive and this might increase his problem. If Ms. Y is not admitted in the hospital, this will create a dissatisfaction among other staff and they may go against the hospital management. If the hospital management admits Ms. Y, the working staff of the hospital will be happy and show their gratitude towards the hospital management. But if Mr. X is not admitted, the hospital may be blamed of being partial and taking care of its staff only. Step IV: Analyse the action In this situation it seems that Mr. X even after getting admission may become corona positive which will further complicate his problems. Ms. Y is a corona positive patient and the hospital is currently treating large no. of corona patients where Ms. Y is a nurse taking care of corona patients. Step V: Select the best course of action In this case the most appropriate solution seems that the hospital should hire an ambulance with ventilator facility and start the treatment of Mr. X in the ambulance and send him to a suitable hospital and Ms. Y should be admitted to the hospital.
Topics: Ethics
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